Captain Prafull Hudekar came to us live from India on Friday, June 10th at 10:30am Pacific via Zoom to share his insights and watercolor techniques.

Here’s a brief Q&A to get to know him a bit better:

Why do you paint? 
I paint daily – it’s akin to meditation. It’s a brilliant stress-buster and I feel great after a painting well done.

How long have you been painting?
For the last 16 years now. However I’ve always had the inkling to paint since earlier on.

Are you a working artist or do you have another job?
Painting is my second profession. I am a Sailing Master – a Captain in the Merchant Navy.

Do you have formal art training?
No – but in 2007, I attended a watercolour workshop in Pune taught by renowned artist, Milind Mulick. With the techniques that I learned, I developed my own style and proceeded to carve out a niche for myself.

What other artists inspire you?
Alvaro Castagnet, Roberto Zangarelli, Roberto Andreoli.

Do you prefer painting en plein air or in the studio?
I do enjoy plein air painting. During my vacations, I go out on the weekends with Urban Sketchers Pune and enjoy painting different locations and subjects. Then later on, I work in my studio. However, when I’m sailing onboard the ship, I paint using reference photos.

Do you have a favorite time of day to paint?
There’s no fixed time, per se. Whenever time permits… being a seafarer is a herculean job and it sure is difficult to set aside a fixed time for painting.

What music do you listen to while painting?
Indian and western classical instrumental music.

Which core colors do you use?
Cobalt Blue, Indian Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Viridian, Orange, Indigo

Pans, tubes or sticks?
Tubes are preferable, but I do use pans sometimes, mostly during plein air outings.

How long does it take you to finish a piece?
On average, a painting can go on for 10 minutes to 2 hours.

How do you know when a piece is done?
Depends on my intuition and sometimes from suggestions by my family.

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Join us online each week for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with Daniel Smith CEO and Owner, John Cogley and guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays, John highlights various features of our products and answers your questions. On Fridays, a guest artist follows up to share how they incorporate those features into their art.

Check our Facebook page for news about upcoming guest artists or to watch past replays. Each Zoom meeting is also recorded and shared on our YouTube channel. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.